Boston had its first taste of winter yesterday as the season's inaugural snowflakes fell shortly before noon, covering the ground with snow and slush.

For most Harvard students, yesterday's flurries were as common to autumn as the start of classes. But to those freshmen hailing from warmer climates, they were an entirely new phenomenon.

Mattthews Hall resident Wendell C. Ocasio '90 woke to see snow for the first time. "It was great," said the native Puerto Rican, "although I really expected balls of snow instead of flakes."

Ocasio echoed the sentiments of many longtime New Englanders, saying that he does not expect the snow to be quite so pleasant once the colder weather hits.

"The snow was amazing," said Grays Hall resident Anup R. Joshi '90 of Nepal. "I came outside and the whole ground was white." Joshi said that he is looking forward to his first snowball fight.

Thailand native Roong Poshyananda '90 of Hollis Hall said her freshman adviser called to tell her to look outside to see her first snowfall. Poshyananda said, "He just called and said, 'Welcome to winter.'"